LISTEN
NASB:
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
NIV:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Observations:
Timothy was a young man, and the apostle Paul was encouraging him not to be afraid. He does that by reminding him of the power of the Spirit of God.
The Spirit God has given us has nothing to do with timidity and does not make us afraid.
The Spirit God has given us gives us three things — power, love and discipline (or self-discipline, NIV).
Takeaways:
Our God was unafraid to send his only Son to a cross to die for our sins. That same God has entrusted us with his Spirit. We should not fear because of that.
We need to live with the attributes the Spirit gives us. We live with power over the evil and corrupt practices of the world. We live with love for our brothers in Christ and fellow human beings. And we live with discipline to obey what God has commanded us.
